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Revenants
Revenants are individuals, usually human, who have died and been resurrected by necromancers. The process is a complex biological, magical, and mechanical one which must be performed no more than twelve hours after the subject expires. The legal definition of a Revenant is as follows: Any sentient creature brought back from death to life through means magical, biological, and mechanical. Non-sentient creatures brought back to life are usually simply referred to as "undead" or "zombies." Revenants are often referred to as unfortunates, undead, corpses, dolls (especially if female), zombies, differently-alive, previously deceased; it should be noted that any of these terms could potentially offensive if used around the wrong Revenant, though the latter two terms are generally considered the most politically correct. Reviving Revenants A necromancer is a sicentist who creates Revenants, a process typically defined as a "ressurection." Anatomy Revenant physiology varies widely by individual, depending on the skill and preferences of the necromancer who resurrected them. However, there are some commonalities. Most Revenants have either entirely mechanical organs or a combination of mechanical and natural organs; it is incredibly difficult, some would argue near impossible, to resurrect a corpse successfully without the use of mechanics. Since most Revenants are kept alive to some degree by clockwork, they usually have some kind of winding mechanism (referred to by necromancers as a sustainability mechanism) incorporated into their anatomy. Usually, this takes the form of a key-winding device implanted on the body, usually on the chest or back. However, some Revenants may have internal “self-winding” mechanisms, most often located inside the heart and wound by the flow of blood or whatever liquid serves as blood. (It should be noted that all functional Revenants have some form of circulatory system; more will be covered regarding this later.) Most Revenants have a “seam” located on the front of their bodies, usually in the shape of a surgical y-incision, that cannot be seen except with duscopic lensing. This seam can be opened by a necromancer or mechanic so that he or she may perform necessary maintenance on the Revenant. More specifics of physiology are as follows, though it should be kept in mind that these are generalizations and need not apply to every Revenant. 'Circulation' As stated earlier, all functional Revenants have some sort of blood-flow. Occasionally, this is their actual blood, but more frequently, it is another chemical compound. Oil is not uncommon. 'Respiration' Revenants, though deceased, still require oxygen to function. 'Digestion & Excretion' The majority of Revenants require neither food nor water; their energy is created through the winding of their sustainability mechanism. In fact, many Revenants simply cannot process nutrients like a living being. It is not at all uncommon for the digestive tract and/or excretory organs to be removed completely. 'Sleep' Revenants do not, by and large, require sleep. Many are capable of sleeping, but it is not a physiological need. However, most Revenants do prefer to have “down-time.” 'Sensation' The amount of sensation a Revenant is capable of feeling varies greatly from Revenant to Revenant, though generally their sensation is less than that of a living being. It should be noted however that a skilled necromancer is capable of “rewiring” a Revenant’s nervous system, causing heightened or greatly decreased sensation wherever on the Revenant’s body that the necromancer so pleases. 'Aging' Revenants do not age, though they may decay if shoddily resurrected. A well-resurrected, well-maintained Revenant would be theoretically immortal, so long as they weren’t killed by any other means; generally, this entails destruction of the brain or of the sustainability mechanism. 'Resilience & Healing' The average Revenant is only as tough or resilient as the creature it was in life, unless the necromancer specifically augments its capabilities. It should be noted, however, that a great majority of necromancers (at least those with skill) are capable of creating Revenants who do not sustain visible injuries such as bruises, and any necromancers worth their salt are capable of healing all but the most grievous wounds on a Revenant to near invisibility. However, it should be noted that oftentimes Revenants will show signs of whatever killed them; for example, a Revenant who was strangled to death might bear permanent bruises on his or her neck. The reason for this is unknown. 'Sickness' Revenants neither contract nor spread illnesses, though many consider the decay that often occurs in poorly-resurrected Revenants a disease of sorts. This decay is the only way a Revenant could spread any sort of sickness to a living creature. 'Sex & Reproduction' As functioning Revenants have blood flow, most Revenants are capable of sexual arousal and intercourse. However, no necromantic process has yet been devised to allow Revenants to reproduce; female Revenants do not menstruate and male Revenants do not create seminal fluids. Revenants of both sexes are usually capable of reaching orgasm (though male Revenants do not ejaculate), though since most have decreased physical sensation, it can take a lot of skill and patience from their partner. Psychology Revenants' psyches and personalities are as colorful and varied as those of the living beings they once were, however, there are some common patterns of thought and behavior that have been observed in Revenants. The most notable of these is that a great number of Revenants lose something of their desire for autonomy and self-governance after resurrection; many are perfectly content to be subordinate to somebody else. This is not to say that they have no free will or are always easily controlled or manipulated, only that their desire for individual agency is generally lessened. Another notable aspect of Revenant psychology is their tendency towards existential crisis. This is understandable, considering their situation. Crises manifest differently in every Revenant, and some individuals do not experience such trauma at all. Some individuals shut down emotionally when the subject of their state of being is brought up, while others become wildly hysterical even at being reminded that they are not alive in the the same way as everyone else. The final psychological commonality between Revenants is their tendency to experience déjà-vu; Revenants rarely consciously remember much, if anything, of their lives before death and resurrection, but it is not uncommon for a Revenant to feel as though they have seen a person, place, or object before. Along with déjà-vu, many Revenants will experience what we refer to as “flash-bulb” memories: memories of very short and often seemingly inconsequential moments, such as looking at themselves in a mirror or tying a shoelace or holding someone’s hand. Occasionally, a Revenant may remember something of the circumstances surrounding their death, but this is relatively uncommon. It should be noted that while a Revenant could not write the the entire story of their life, so to speak, if asked, most Revenants remember procedures they learned while they were alive; it is rare to meet a Revenant who had to relearn how to speak or walk. Demographics By and large, Revenants are former humans, though it is not entirely unheard of for a member of another species to be resurrected. Estimated population breakdowns by sex and age at death are as follows: Female Infant-15: 5% Male Infant-15: 3% Female 15-20: 14% Male 15-20: 9% Female 20-30: 24% Male 20-30: 21% Female 30-50: 10% Male 30-50: 9% Female 50+: 1% Male 50+: 2% Indeterminable Sex and/or Age: 2% It should be noted that in all categories but males fifty years of age or older, the greater portion of Revenants are female, and that the greatest portion of female Revenants were between fifteen and thirty years old at death. This is almost certainly points to sexually-motivated victimization, as does the disproportionately high number of Revenants working as prostitutes of some fashion.